Infield / Outfield Pre-game routine

good question, and I'm interested to hear what the high school coaches do.
Alot depends on whether they have a batting cage or not. If so, we'll pitch to them as much as possible. If not, we bring our swiftstick, golf whiffle balls, and the long stick you hit, and also do some infield/outfield. Basically like a bunch of stations. Of course, our pitcher and catcher will start warming up about 15 minutes before gametime.

I guess MD is alot different than the Nv, Ca, Az...honestly, I have never seen BP before a HS home/away game, much less with any infield going on at the same time. I assume you are referring to a college type pre-game?? Our teams can only take IF-OF before a game...away or at home. School hours and game time starts would not give us time even if it were possible...especially at away games...get out of school at 1:20 travel to away school, get there by 1:50 - 2:00, stretch-throw, settle in by 2:30, take 15 minutes IF-OF per team...and game starts @ 3:30.

I also wonder how you could hit and have IF-OF in 20-30 minutes?? Do you get out of school early or something?? Play at a later time??

Wish we could do it..we would win a few more games for sure.

To finish your infield with a good crisp round of "one and cover" can be an awe inspiring sight. It will fire-up the defense. On the flip side if you screw it up it looks like a circus act.

Phantom infield is always great!

We only get 15 minutes of infield - no B.P. (except in our cages on our own before home games). We have a very specific routine we go through for infield that I believe helps us get twice as many throws and plays in during that 15 minutes. Very brisk pace, high energy to get our guys locked in.

larry, it looks like you are talking about select ball for 17-18 right? In and Out is for one purpose, to show the kids off. Have them make long throws to show off their arm and make sure they bounce around.

I have a 30 minute bp system that includes each hitter getting 48 cuts and each outfielder and infielder getting 32 fly balls or ground balls.

Takes 3 coaches. One pitching bp. 2 hitting fungos. Takes 60 baseballs and practice. Once you get it down it's very efficient.

Works for 12 players. Slightly longer for 16 players

Doesn't include actual infield practice though.

Guarantee no standing around either.

Infield / Outfield--- we have all the outfielders in right field to start --show off the arms--- then move them to their game positions

Infielders take start of infield deep so as to exhibit arms--then go to normal depth

As for hittng-- many times we can get in a cage early if not we are into Pepper and then wiffle balls and fungo

It works for us --- Since we are mostly playing in showcase events the key is to show off the kids abilities as best we can--pregame we can show them in infield outfield--- the true hitting comes in the games after the hitters have done as we noted above

Hope that this helps you

I apologize guys. I know this is the H.S. Baseball Web, but I have been out of H.S. ball for 7-8 years. My question was more directed to summer baseball 15-16 and/or 17-18.

Like I said originally, we get 20-30 minutes prior to game time (during the week). On weekends it is more time. I want to maximize the work we get in and prep them for the game in 20-30 minutes.

L-Texan...pre-game for us is not about showing off the players. It is about getting them game ready to win a ballgame. No showcase here...we are about winning games and winning league titles.

I appreciate the ideas that have been shared thus far. Teach...would like to hear more detail about your system.

I'll wet your whistle and if you want more I'll have to put it to paper and email. Not difficult to do but difficult to explain.

Basically you have 3 groups of 4 players. Ideally each group has 2 infielders and 2 outfielders. One group is on the left side of the diamond. One group on the right side of the diamond and one group hitting. So three stations if you will.

One coach is pitching. He has a bucket of 16 balls. The other two coaches are up the 1st and 3rd baselines a ways and hitting fungos. They also have a bucket of 16 balls. 1st baseline fungo hitter hits to 3rd base side and left field. 3rd base fungo hitter hits to 1st base side and right field.

Hitting station. 4 players in the group. One is hitting live bp. Two are hitting soft toss. One is chasing foul balls. And I mean chasing. They sprint after each ball because they are the only one chasing them and they don't know when the next one will be hit and they have to have all of them in by the time the bp hitter sees 16 pitches (all the balls in the bp pitchers bucket) These 4 hitters rotate until all have done each thing. While your 4some is in the hitting station, each player will get 16 live bp pitches and 32 soft toss swings.

Group 2: 3rdbase/left field side. 4 players at this station. 2 in outfield, 2 in infield. The coach on the 1st base side will hit to them.

Group 3: 1st base/right field side. 4 players. 2 in infield 2 in outfield.

If you understand the setup we're ready to start.

First, fungo fielders are determined. For example say 3rd baseman and 2 right fielders. bp pitcher throws a pitch. Batter swings, hits it, takes it, whatever. Fungo hitters hit their fungos to designated players. Players not receiving fungos chase the bp hitters ball. Chasers are stationed generally up the middle in the outfield, some shallow, some deep. First chaser is desingated. He chases first batted ball. Sprints to get his running in. Next steps up for next hit. Sprints. etc etc.

Heres a real key. Saves a lot of time. Chasers keep the baseballs. They do not throw them back. Fungo fielders keep their baseballs, drop them in a bucket next to them.

So far we've had one pitched ball and one fungo hit by each coach. Same fungo infielder continues throughout this batter but you alternate 2 outfield fungo fielders due to the coach not always hitting the fly ball directly at the fielder. And it takes too much time for the same guy to get back into postion for the next fungo.

So after each pitch, the fungo fielders are ready at the time the bp pitcher is ready to throw the next pitch. He throws it, batter hits it, takes it, whatever. Next chaser chases (with a sprint) Fungo coaches hit their fungos.

At this point the 3b fielder has received 2 ground balls and the 2 outfield fungo fielders have received 1 fly ball each. Outfield fungo fielder #1 steps up for next fly ball. 3rd baseman is ready for next ground ball.

bp pitcher throws 3rd pitch, batter hits it, chaser chases, coaches hit their fungos etc etc etc. Players keep the balls.

Finally after the bp coach has thrown his 16th ball to the bp batter, he has had 16 cuts, the 3rd baseman has had 16 ground balls and each outfield fungo fielder has had 8 fly balls. The chasers have gotten some sprints in. The extra hitters have done soft toss. Now everyone sprints to the middle of the diamond and brings their balls so that each coach has 16 baseballs.

Rotate your hitter. Rotate your fungo fielders. Repeat. Do this 4 times so each hitter has batted.

After this complete rotation, each hitter has had 16 live cuts and 32 soft toss swings. Each infielder has had 16 ground balls and each outfielder has had 16 fly balls.

Now rotate groups. Group 1 (hitters go to 3rd base side, group that was on 3rd base side goes to 1st base side, group that was on 1st base side goes to hit.

Keep rotating until everyone and done everything and you'll have the following.....

Each hitter: 16 live bp cuts and 32 soft toss swings.

Each infielder: 32 ground balls

Each outfielder: 32 fly balls.

If the coach can throw a pitch every 10 seconds, very easily done, in fact you feel slow taking this much time, each hitter will take about 2.5 minutes. 2.5 minutes x 12 player = 30 minutes.

There is the bringing/sprinting of baseballs to coaches after each hitter. Takes maybe 20 seconds by time next hitter get in the box. 20 seconds x 12 players = 240 seconds.......another 4 minutes.

Rougly 34 minutes. You won't do it this fast while learning. But, after a while, 35 minutes it a piece of cake.

It's crisp, sharp, and a lot of hustling.

And I think I explained the whole thing. No need for the email.

Got less time. Use 8 baseballs. Or 10 baseballs. etc. etc.

larry, pregame should be about showing off the players. A 5 minute in and out before a game is not going to suddenly make a player ready to play. There will always be someone in the stands watching. The important thing is to look sharp and hustle.

Teacherman i like your bp ..glad i saw it. Will add 4 to it and have them in our cages to get 80 cuts. Will be great for our wednesday practices.We work situations 1 hour on those days and have a hit game..We usually just hit stations that day, but this will possibly be even better.Thanks.

we always hit before games. sometimes field - sometimes in cage. according to what we feel we need at the time. if we are playing alot with no practice days we will go to the cage and do some tee work and softtoss pregame.
i believe in short, quick positive round of infield. on and off. from years of experience and many wins and many losses we've found that pregame infield has nothing to do with getting ready to play or a sign of whether you are ready to play or not. matter of fact last season we didnt even take pregame infield a single time. what we will do is if we are playing alot with little practcie time we will come in early and take some serious groundball/flyball work. we'll do this right after school most of the time and then the kids have time to go home,eat, etc. then come back for bp. but we can do that because we play jv/varsity doubleheaders except for tournaments. jv play at430 and varsity at 7. we'll do some 4 way fungo where everybody is getting groundballs w/no throws, then we will go 2 way fungo throwing to the bases.
steve
http://www.leaguelineup.com/raiderbaseball

We hit pre-game too. We hit bp at home.. major league/college style with rounds and a cage group before the 4:30 jv game and then take a few more cage and tee hacks around the 5th and 6th innings of the JV game. On the road we either hit before and leave seperate from the JV or if its a good distance we just hit cages there.